Hi all, I, and others in my work group, have been using HanDBase for ipad for a number of years to collect vegetation data in the field. I really love it and hope that people like Dave and Brian will be able to continue with the fantastic support they have provided so far. I hope that DDH Software will be able to continue to fund such user support. Regards, Charles

I too have used Handbase since the early days of Palm (TRG Pro). Handbase was one of the first apps I bought. I know that things change and move on, but I am not finding another app that is any better or as good. Is there less of a need for this type of app? Or are there other alternatives?

I do think crowd funding sounds good. We havd also paid ourselves for a fuction. When we were using Palms we paid to be able to export to contacts so we only had to inter information once. I do think an interesting option is to pay for a function to be developed ( maybe with some form of payback if you are able to sell to others).

Things that are of interest to me:

1. A better list view ( with check boxes) on Android 2. Photo attachment in Android3. Ability to export to contacts4. Ability to attach documents5. Ability to store and use in the cloud (i make changes on my device and the next time i am connected to the internet it syncs with the file in the cloud and then every other computer and device is updated the next time they connect to the internet).

SPG wrote:I too have used Handbase since the early days of Palm (TRG Pro). Handbase was one of the first apps I bought. I know that things change and move on, but I am not finding another app that is any better or as good. Is there less of a need for this type of app? Or are there other alternatives?

That's the magic question. If I were being honest I think it's because there are so many apps out there for specific and varied use cases that the need for an app that lets you create your own solutions is less needed. Back in the Palm days there were only a few hundred apps and surely they didn't cover the needs of most users. Nowadays there are millions of apps and it's easy to find one already designed for your specific use case. Of course there are many cases where you can design something better for your own use then someone else, or that you have a unique use case that doesn't match an off the shelf tool, so there is still a market for an app like HanDBase. It's just that the market for this is much smaller than before, and the ability to cut through the noise from all of the millions of app that much more difficult!

I do think crowd funding sounds good. We havd also paid ourselves for a fuction. When we were using Palms we paid to be able to export to contacts so we only had to inter information once. I do think an interesting option is to pay for a function to be developed ( maybe with some form of payback if you are able to sell to others).

Over the years there have been several times when I added a function to the app it was for a specific customer's needs. If the feature was something useful to the general population, I would often split the dev cost with that customer. So for example, back when barcode search was first implemented, it was for a specific customer who needed it. I figured that others would make use of that feature so if it was a 10 hour dev time, I charged the customer for half that and in exchange all of you benefitted from the new feature. And hopefully it helped to increase sales over time to cover the half that I didn't charge for. It's worked out well over the years but is more of a solution for individual users. I envision that there if there was a "fund a feature" service, the developer could do something similar, saying for example that this would take x hours to implement, but willing to develop if x/2 or x/3 was raised to cover it. Not aware of any sort of crowd funded service like this, are you?

Things that are of interest to me:

1. A better list view ( with check boxes) on Android 2. Photo attachment in Android3. Ability to export to contacts4. Ability to attach documents5. Ability to store and use in the cloud (i make changes on my device and the next time i am connected to the internet it syncs with the file in the cloud and then every other computer and device is updated the next time they connect to the internet).

Actually most of what you are looking for are features I've long wanted to add, and in fact the 2 and 3 features are related to a feature I started which is for external field type support in Android. Hopefully I'll be able to finish and release that soon!

I think we have some diehard fans here and rightly so.Lot of us come from the early palm days.

I propose that DDH send an email to their client base asking for a $1.00 donation to affirm our commitment to this product.Set a goal that represents a go/nogo point.If its met then its full speed and damn the torps. (or photons if you prefer)I would expect the next release to cost me something.

But along with that I would expect the serious bugs removed.Like math problems both in desktop and app.That's just plain wrong!

I would like to see better accountability on DDH part.The forum is good but we also need to see a section that has clearly defined info on key updates.

Simple format would be...Area of Issue (i.e. math/db building / etc ) Specific Issue (i.e. totals not totaling between related records) Actions taken ( whats been said or done to fix issue.)

Those 3 levels would be all that is needed to keep us up to date and DDH feet to the fire.

What benefit? When I can trust the program (desktop/app) to function without corrupting the data then I can trust to recommend it to people.

And how about a bounty when we bring a CX to you? It doesn't have to be money, maybe points toward something.

I want you to thrive because you keep my data control working. At least you did till these issues grew bigger.

Thanks to both Boscovec and Zin Olanoid for your posts and support. It's an interesting time- we have awesome customers like you who are willing to support a program you paid for with additional monies, and then there are thousands upon thousands more who believe apps should be free in this day and age and that 10.00 for an app is about 10 dollars too much!

I appreciate folks like you so much. I don't think I could ever ask those like you who have supported HanDBase all these years to give even more- you paid for an app based on the functionality that was present at the time and to have use for it thereafter. To ask you to voluntarily pay even more without any real expectation for additional value seems unfair to you.

Now as Zinc mentioned if there were certain features that were delivered in exchange for this, then that changes the equation. That said, the issues you mentioned are not ones I have seen from other users as being a priority. Therein lies the challenge- what one person would like to see in the program is not the same as what others may want. And unless there is a general consensus, asking for some type of donation would just breed disappointment.

From the beginning of this era, software has always been done in this order - you build it (and if it's what they want/need), they will come. Nowadays we have a switch in that contract- you come and pay for something (via Kickstarter, etc) and we'll build it, and hopefully it's what you hoped it would be. I get the reasoning for it, and it's all part of the changing landscape. But it's challenging because people are paying before they can see if it will meet their desires for a solution based on promises. I've read many articles where this can go wrong as people were either mislead or misunderstood what a product was supposed to do for them or were disappointed with the real result.

I honestly much preferred the old way of doing things- build it up, offer a full demo so people can try and if it meets their needs, they pay for it. There were no surprises or disappointments for the customer. No one had any right to be upset- if something didn't work for them, they didn't part with any money and they can keep looking for a solution for their needs.

For this reason I'd much rather deliver on something, see if you like it, and then if so, you support that work with your hard earned dollars. The challenge for me now is that I have a full time job doing something that does pay my bills and only a small amount of time to pursue HanDBase each week. Most of that time goes towards maintenance- keeping the apps compatible with the changing OS's and supporting existing customers. Hoping in the near future to have additional time to put some additional time into actual new features and functionality however, and if some of that comes as a paid upgrade, that seems like a more fair way to do business for everyone involved.

Thanks again to all of you who read and post on this forum and those like boscovec who choose to support these efforts beyond what you should have to do!

CurtI am not a DDHSoftware employee, just a long time HanDBase user.... from Palm to Windows Mobile to Android, to iOS. Thanks to DDH, the database files transferred to each platform without a problem.

I have noticed that when I search in iTunes app store using the term 'database' I get many results, but HandBase is not one of them. In fact the only way I can find your app is to use the term HandBase itself. This may account for any decline in sales/new users. I don't know how Apple ranks products in its store; it might be worth investigating this.

I started using Handbase on my Palm V but I really use it, professionnaly, on my Iphone.I have to admit I'v been a little desapointed when I had to switch to Android last yearI'd love new functionality (phone number, text combination, relationship on a part of field...) and i'm ok to pay 10, 20 or 30 more instead of switching to another soft .Desktop is also a part where small improvement would be loved (scrolling with mouse wheel).